Bagasse-washing and saccharine-extracting machine



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.) w

A. S. WHEELER. BAGASSE WASHING AND SAOUHARINE EXTRAGTING MAOHINE.

Patented Apr. Z 1, 1883.

m u nn H INVBNTOR:

ATTORNEYS wmmss W N. FEIZKS. Pmnvumognpmr. wahinglon. mc.

t V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I ALGERNON s. WHEELER, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

BAGASSE-WASHING AND SACCHAR'INE-EXTRACTI NG MACHIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 276,513, dated. April24, 1883. Application filed August 25, 1882. (No model.)

WHEELER, of New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State ofLouisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBagasse-Washingand Saccharine-Extractin g Machines, of which thefollowing is a full, clear,

i and exact description.

This invention relates to apparatus or machines for extractingsaccharine matter from bagasse or ground cane.

The invention generally consists in acombination of compressing-rollsarranged within a hot-water vat for saturating the bagasse and fordissolving the saccharine matter; also, in an ebullitiontank arrangedwithin said vat, and telescopic tubes for injecting liquid or steam ontothe bagasse, and in various constructions and combinations of pants,whereby the efficiency of'the apparatus is promoted, substantially ashereinafter described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

. Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved .apparatus; Fig. 2, an invertedplan view of the ebullition tank with its attached telescopic pipes;Fig.3, a vertical longitudinal section on the line at m in Fig. 1; Figs.4 and 5, transverse sections, in partnpon an enlarged scale,

on the lines y y and z a, respectively, of Fig. 3;

and Fig. 6, a sectional view of the yieldingbearing of the delivery-rollwith its attachments.

A in the drawings indicates a frame of any suitable construction, andwhich serves to carry a main roll, B, and a series of smaller parallelrolls, 0 G and D, the ones 0 C of which work in juxtaposition with themain roll, and the one D of which is a delivery-roll.

On the shaft of the large or main roll B is a chain-wheel, b, forcommunicating rotary motion by a chain to said roll from achain-wheel onthe sugar-mill, adjacent to or back of which my bagasse-washing andsaccharine-extracting apparatus is set. A spur-wheel, 0, upon the shaftof the roll B and pinions d d d on the rolls 0 G and D transmit thenecessary rotary motion to the rolls 0 G D.

' It is designed that the several rolls receive the bagasse as fast asit is made by the sugarmill,a feed board or apron, E, beingused, if

desired, to conduct the bagasse to them.

The frame A and rolls carried by it are all arranged within a vat orpan, G, which is mounted uponsuitable brick-Work, H, made to form afurnace,with arch and flues for heating said vat, which is partiallyfilled with water, so as to cause the lower rolls to be immersed in hotor boiling water for the purpose of dissolving, while the rolls, bytheir com-' pressing action, extract the saccharine matter from thebagasse.

The general operation may be briefly described as follows: The machinebeing set in operation, the bagasse introduced over the feed-board E isfirst compressed between the main roll B and advance lower roll 0, andas it leaves the latter is expanded and caused to absorb hot water inthe vat G. It then-passes on for a repetition of the action successivelybetween the other rolls 0 and the main roll B, expanding and absorbingthe water or liquid between each roll 0, and is finally delivered by orbeneath the suitably-rotating deliveryroll D in a comparatively drycondition.

To more perfectly extract and dissolve the saccharine matter, I place inthe bottom of the vat G an inverted ebullition-pan, I, and arrange thesame immediately over the fire or hottest part of the furnace, and byebullition causethehot water or liquid and steam to be projected uponthe bagasse while passing onto the feed-board E, or before enteringbetween the rolls, by means of pipes J, connected with the pan I andmade telescopic, so that they may be placed in any desired position tooperate upon the bagasse as it enters or is received by the machine.

The furnace may consist of a fire-place, 0,

extending across the brick structure H, and a central longitudinaldivision-wall, f, forming direct and return flues on opposite sides ofit, and connected by a back opening, 9, and terminating in an aperture,h, from the returnflue to the chimney, thereby giving heat under thewhole vat The ebullition-pan I is preferably of T shape, with its headextending over the fire-place e ICO and its leg or wing back over theflues, and is provided with suitable circulating-strips, i, andapertures 70, as shown in Fig. 2.

The end 3 of the vat G over the fire-place is made inclined, to providea free delivery for the bagasse and additional length of vat over thefurnace. A faucet may be fitted to said vat, so that as the water in itbecomes too thick or heavily charged with sirup to make it serviceableon the bagasse by reason of the evaporation which takes place or depositof saccharine matter it may be emptied or drawn OE, and the vat berefilled with water.

Under or at the back of each journal-box Z of the rolls 0 are steelspiral springs m, n, and 0, (seen more clearly in Fig. 4,) and combinedwith these are set-bolts 4. These set-bolts serve the double purpose ofholding the springs sufficiently compressed or under tension to allow ofthe rolls 0 meeting or nearly meeting the main roll B without permittingof their bearing against it to produce objectionable friction or tocause the machine to labor, also of keeping said springs under heavypressure to provide for the yielding of them whenever the bagasse isreceived in mats or irregularly, whereby breaking or clogging isprevented. These provisions are met by causing the heads of theset-bolts (see Fig. 4) to rest upon a follower, s, supported by thesprings back of the journal-boxes, and by regulating-nuts t on theopposite ends of the bolts bearing under or against projections to onthe main frame. Furthermore, the set-bolts r are constructed with ashoulder, r, so that in or during the compression of the springs theyhave their back action through the stop or projection a limited toprevent the toothed gear of the rolls from becoming disengaged.

The springs at the back of each journal-box l are in nests of two,three, or more, so as to telescope one within the other, and eachsucceeding coiled spring in a best or set is wound in a reversedirection to the one next .to it. Thus the coil m is wound in onedirection, the coil n in an opposite direction, and the coil 0 in thesame direction as the first coil. By thus multiplying the number ofsprings and crossing them a stronger and better distributedspring-support is obtained and a free action is insured for each spring.The same arrangement of springs isshown as applied to are interposedbetween the rolls (J C, to convey the bagasse fromoneroll to another.These plates should also recede, in common with the receding of therolls C 0, under a heavy pressure, to prevent the bagasse from passingunder said plates and down or back between said rolls. To this end theplates M are supported or controlled by springs 01/, which keep theplates in contact with the rolls.

Back of the main roll B is a plate, 1), arranged to prevent bagasse fromadheringto said'roll and to guide it to the delivery-roll D.

Housing should be applied to each end of the rolls to prevent bagassefrom working out on the sides.

Having thus described my invention, what I the combination of a seriesof rolls for compressing the bagasse as itis passed in between them, anda hot-water tank or vat in which said rolls are arranged for saturatingthe bagasse as it passes between the rolls and for dissolving thesaccharine matter exudingfrom the bagasse, substantially as specified.

2. In an apparatus for washing bagasse and extracting the saccharinematter therefrom, the combination of the positively-driven main roll B,a series of secondary rolls, 0 and D, supported in yielding bearings andgeared for operation in connection with the main roll, a hot-water tankor vat, Gr, within the liquid contained in which the rolls 0 areimmersed, and a furnace applied to said tank or vat for heating thewater or liquid therein,essentially as and for the purposes herein setforth.

3. In an apparatus for washingbagasse and extracting the saccharinematter therefrom, the combination of an ebullition-tank, I, havingattached telescopic tubes J, the hot-water vat G, within which saidebullition-tank is arranged, a furnace arranged beneath said vatand overthe fire-place and fiues of which the ebullition-tank is placed, and thecompressingrolls B and O O,.arranged within the vat, substantially asand for the purposes described.

4. In an apparatus for washingbagasse and extracting the saccharinematter therefrom, the combination, with the main roll B and with theseries of rolls 0, in gear therewith, and having yielding bearings, ofthe yielding plates M, arranged between said rolls 0, and controlled. bysprings for action in concert with the rolls 0, substantially as hereindescribed.

ALGERNON SIDNEY WHEELER. Witnesses:

ANDREW HERO, P. A. ORY.

